“I was executing,” he said. “The sinker, cutter, even the four-seamer, I wasn’t missing, I was putting it where I wanted to. I was working down and I was working both sides of the plate.”

After Gregerson struck out the side in the seventh around a two-out single by Gaby Sanchez to snap his Padres reliever’s record run of 26 straight hitters retired, Adams worked a perfect eighth.

The Marlins opened the ninth with back-to-back singles against Bell, who got a fly to center and the Padres’ 15th strikeout before Sanchez hit a sinking liner between Venable and the foul line.

The outfielder made a diving catch. “Great play to end the game,” said Black.

“I saw it well off the bat and I wanted to be aggressive,” said Venable. “I had a good track on it, it was all or nothing but I felt good about the chance.”

Offensively, Eckstein had his third three-hit game of the season and Tony Gwynn reached base all four times with a pair of steals. Two-out hits by Kyle Blanks and Nick Hundley produced the Padres’ first run.

Meanwhile, Chris Young has been scratched from his rehab start in Salt Lake City tomorrow after experiencing discomfort elsewhere in his shoulder after Monday’s bullpen session. He could throw a simulated game back in San Diego over the weekend.